2020 Winter Sports

It was a memorable end to the girls’ swim team’s first season in the Skyland Conference, as senior Becca Michaels was named the Skyland Conference Valley Division Swimmer.

Michaels made school history this winter, becoming the first GSB swimmer to ever claim a title at the Somerset County Championships – taking gold in the 50 freestyle in a time of 24.85 seconds. The two-time captain’s season came to an end at the prestigious NJSIAA Meet of Champions, where she placed 41st in New Jersey in the 50 freestyle. Michaels leaves GSB with every single school record and four-straight all-conference first-team selections.

It was a historic winter for the girls’ swim team, going 6-1 in its inaugural season in the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division while earning its highest finishes ever at the Somerset County and Prep Championships. At those county championships, the girls’ 200 freestyle relay of Rebecca Michaels ’20, Laura Howard ’21, and Maddie and Olivia Soultanian ’22 had a remarkable showing, shattering the school record while also recording Gill’s first-ever top-six finish in a relay event. At the extremely competitive Prep Championships, Michaels claimed third place in the 100 backstroke, the highest finish ever by a Gill girl swimmer, while Maddie Soultanian also had a remarkable swim, finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle. The Knights ended their season on its highest note, upsetting Moorestown Friends in the NJSIAA state tournament to advance to their firstever Non-Public B State Semifinals.

The boys’ swim team showed incredible resilience during its first season in the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division. After losing its first five meets of the year, the Knights rebounded by earning wins over Warren Hills and Belvidere to finish with a regular-season record of 2-5. The squad of eight swimmers continued to defy the odds by qualifying for the Non-Public B State Tournament for the second-straight season. The boys also displayed some of the fastest swimming in school history, with the 200-medley relay team of Jonathan Osma ’20, Adrian Massuet ’20, Robert Brandl ’20, and Jake Baber ’21 breaking the school record at the Somerset County Championships. Individually, Osma re-broke his school records in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, while Brandl set the school record in the 50 freestyle.

It was another strong year for the fencing programs, as both the boys’ and girls’ squads continued to show improvement and dedication throughout the season. The first major competition of the season took place at Regionals in late January. The boys’ fencing team placed tenth in épée, ninth in foil, and ninth in sabre. Caroline Solondz ’21 earned a third-place finish in district individuals, and that qualified her for the state individual tournament. Zoe O’Connor ’21 also qualified for the district individual tournament in women’s épée. The program’s best showing of the season came at the Prep Championships. The girls’ team placed second overall in the “B” Division, and the women’s sabre squad earned gold in their event, with all three of the fencers, Maggie Kistner ’20, Caroline Solondz ’21, and Grace Crimi ’23, qualifying for the individual round. Kistner went on to win the consolation final, finishing third overall. Solondz pulled off a thrilling victory to earn the individual sabre title. The women’s épée squad also had a terrific showing, placing second overall. Zoe O’Connor ’21 and Sophia Mariano ’23 both qualified for the individual round, with O’Connor being crowned the individual épée champion after winning a tough bout.

EMILY RAIA ʼ20 Joyful

I always looked forward to being able to walk on campus and be with friends.

My most memorable moment was in my junior year soccer season, specifically the Rutgers game. The game was home with the crowd all wearing pink for cancer awareness. With the victory at the end and everyone cheering, it made it one of my fondest memories.

It was another breakout season for ice hockey, as the Knights team continued to establish itself as one of the top growing programs in the state. Gill went 13-6-3 overall with an impressive 10-3-3 record in MCSSIHL divisional play. GSB’s most exciting stretch of the season came during the HAAS Cup Tournament, in which the Knights defeated West Morris, 4-1, and then Whippany Park, 4-2, to advance to its first-ever HAAS Cup Final. Even though the Knights eventually fell to Mountain Lake in this title game, their incredible run inspired the entire community. Individually, Brenan Lavoie ’21 ranked among the top goal scorers in the state and was named the MCSSIHL Player of the Week in late January. Lavoie earned first-team all-division honors, while Eddie McCarthy ’20 earned second-team honors, Christian Mote ’22 and Liam Jones ’21 earned third-team recognitions, and Logan Mote ’22 received an Honorable Mention.

It was an exciting and rewarding winter for the indoor track and field teams, as GSB remained busy all season by competing in numerous championships, with many Knights experiencing individual success and setting personal records. The teams saved their best performances for last, as they had great showings at both the Prep and Group Championships. At the Prep, the boys’ squad took second place overall in the “B” Division, thanks to two exceptional performances. Joe Licata ’22 claimed gold in the shot put, and Will Strong ’22 was crowned champion in the 1600 meters. Niels Rongen ’20 also had a strong showing for Gill, placing second in the 3200 meters and third in the 1600 meters, as did Alex Tulenko ’22, taking second in the high jump, and third in the 55 meters hurdles. GSB also boasted two champions at the highly competitive Non-Public B Group Championships. Licata once again emerged victorious in the shot put, and Emily Raia ’20 claimed gold in the 55-meters, setting a school-record time. With their individual titles, Licata and Raia advanced to represent Gill at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.

The Knights re-established themselves as an elite New Jersey basketball program this past winter, consistently ranking in the top-20 in the state while taking on an extremely challenging schedule. Gill went 15-11 overall, with a 9-5 record in Skyland Conference divisional play. The Knights’ biggest win during the regular season came in early January when they toppled the eighth-ranked team in the state, Franklin, 60-53. GSB went on to catch fire during the South Jersey, Non-Public B Sectional tournament, earning upset wins over Trinity Hall and 16th-ranked Wildwood Catholic before falling to state power Rutgers Prep in the semifinals. It was an especially memorable year for Caileigh Walsh ’21, as she was named Skyland Conference Player of the Week in January, scored her 1,000th career point, and finished with the second-most blocks in the entire state.

The boys’ basketball team maintained its proud tradition of being one of the best programs in all of New Jersey by regularly being ranked within the top-10 teams in the state while taking on nationally ranked and recognized programs throughout the winter. The Knights earned a final record of 20-8, including a perfect 10-0 mark during divisional play to capture an unprecedented 10th-straight Skyland Conference division title. GSB also had another strong run in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public B Sectional Tournament, earning wins over DePaul and Hudson Catholic. Will Soucie ’20 scored his 1,000th career point against Hudson Catholic, and that victory sent the Knights to their second-straight Sectional Finals. Even though Gill put up an incredible fight, GSB barely fell to rival Roselle Catholic, the third-ranked program in New Jersey, 59-58, to close out their season.